by Anthony Panissidi, Asbury Park (N.J.) Press

by Anthony Panissidi, Asbury Park (N.J.) Press

JACKSON, N.J. - In the days since a 4-year-old here accidentally killed his 6-year-old playmate, a handful of people have come to Cyrus Seervai's store, hoping to buy combination gun safes.

"Most of the time, you will find gun owners are pretty responsible," said Seervai, owner of Pineland Sporting Goods here. "But, every now and then, one or two might be a bad apple."

On Monday evening, a 4-year-old boy found a loaded rifle in his Toms River, N.J., home and brought it outside, where he was playing with Brandon Holt. A single bullet struck Brandon in the head, and the 6-year-old was pronounced dead the next day.

The Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office, which is handling the case because the shooter's family has ties to Ocean County law enforcement, had not filed charges in the case as of midday Friday.

Since Brandon's death, the national debate surrounding gun safety has touched on gun owners securing their firearms from children, a provision not included in a gun-control measure that survived a key Senate vote Thursday in Washington.

On Saturday in Lebanon, Tenn., another 4-year-old picked up a gun laying on a bed where a sheriff's deputy was showing other firearms to a guest. It was loaded and had no gun lock. That boy shot the deputy's wife, killing her.

Seervai and owners of several other stores that sell guns here said they regularly ask gun buyers how they will secure their weapons.

Combination safes go for $300 to $3,000 and gun locks for as little as a few dollars, Seervai said. Biometric fingerprint impression safes, which can be opened only with the fingerprint of the owner, can be bought for $400 or less.

"When we sell a gun, we push for a gun safe," said Bill Sherman, owner of Shore Shot Pistol Range in Lakewood, N.J. "For somebody to leave their gun loaded and out, that's careless."

Sherman said his policy is to ask buyers if they have children and how they plan to store their guns.

Sherman saw a rise in the sale of gun security measures after Hurricane Sandy because owners were afraid of looters.

Gun purchasers at Tip's Hardware in the West Creek, N.J., make sure to keep their firearms secure, owner Tom Gormley said.

"People are very conscious of that," Gormley said.

All handguns at Gormley's store must be sold with some sort of locking mechanism unless they already come with one. Rifles are not lawfully required to be sold with such a device, but the majority of manufacturers build one into their guns, Gormley said.